Motorists fined £6m for merging into 70-metre bus lane in Lambeth

Fines: The bus lane on Clapham Park Road is the same colour as the road next to it Google Street View

Motorists travelling through a junction in South London have been hit with road fines totalling £6 million for merging in to the bus lane, it was claimed today.

According to the AA, tens of thousands of motorists every year are being hit with hefty fines for so-called “bus lane entrapment.” The organisation said that one junction in Lambeth, south London, is currently the top money spinner in the UK, claiming it raked in £6 million in fines in the past few years.

The camera is placed on a 70-metre bus lane on Clapham Park Road. The AA said: “Even though London Tribunals have upheld at least one appeal at this 70 metre bus lane when a motorist crossed it to turn left, Lambeth continue to issue thousands of Penalty Charge notices (PCNs) to motorists completing the same manoeuvre.”

The report said: “When an individual camera is raking in millions per year, there must be something wrong with the signing, road layout or junction engineering.”

The AA is now calling for an official investigation to be launched when fines from one bus lane exceed £10,000.

London motorists can be hit with fines of up to £130 for merging in to bus lanes - with fines costing about £70 elsewhere.

Nationally, the number of tickets given out for bus lane infringements has soared to more than a million in 2014 - up from 321,999 five years ago.

A Lambeth council spokesman said: “Motorists who drive in bus lanes cause delays to bus passengers and commuters. Clapham Park Road is used by a vast number of motorists on a daily basis with the majority doing so without receiving a Penalty Charge Notice.

“The bus lane in Clapham Park Road is clearly marked and complies with all regulations and standards. We regularly check our signs and road markings where we enforce using CCTV to ensure we are compliant.”